Navigating the "After"
Traumatic grief is more than just sadness; it is a profound disruption of your sense of safety. It shows up in the 'heavy quiet' of your day-to-day—a sudden flash of a memory, an unexplainable feeling of being stuck, or a nervous system that constantly feels on edge. If you find yourself functioning but not truly living, know that your experience is a valid response to an impossible loss.
Safe Containment
In our initial sessions, we focus on building a secure relational container. We prioritize your nervous system stability, ensuring you have the tools to stay grounded while we touch the heavier edges of your grief.
The Arc of Our Work Together
Grief therapy isn’t about ‘moving on’; it’s about integrating your loss into a life that feels worth living again. Here is how we navigate that path.
Somatic Inquiry
Grief lives in the body. We move beyond just talking, using somatic awareness to notice where loss is held—as tension, numbness, or weight—and gently inviting those areas to soften and release.
Parts Integration
We work with the different ‘parts’ of you—the part that is overwhelmed, the part trying to stay strong, and the part that carries the pain—to create internal harmony and self-compassion.
My Approach to Healing
Healing Beyond Insight
You understand your grief on a cognitive level, but the pain remains stored in your body. My relational approach integrates EMDR, somatic work, and parts work (Internal Family Systems) to help you bridge the gap between knowing your patterns and actually feeling different.
As a Grief Certified Counselor, We don't just talk about the loss; we work with the nervous system to process the 'stuck' emotional energy. By honoring the different parts of you that are grieving, we create a path toward integration and a regulation that feels steady, even when the waves of loss return.
EMDR Integration
Desensitizing traumatic memories so they no longer trigger a full-body survival response.
Somatic Parts Work
Learning to listen to the body's wisdom and tending to the wounded parts that feel stuck in time.
Common Questions
Is it normal to still feel this way after so much time?
Deep grief doesn't follow a timeline. Traumatic loss, in particular, affects the nervous system in a way that can make the past feel like it is happening in the present. In our work, we focus on helping your body find safety so you can begin to integrate the loss at your own pace.
Will EMDR make me relive the trauma of the loss?
EMDR is not about re-traumatizing you. It is a structured approach that allows your brain to process the 'stuck' parts of the memory without needing to detail every painful moment. We spend significant time building internal resources and 'brakes' so you always feel in control of the process.
What if I'm not 'ready' to move on?
The goal of grief therapy isn't to 'move on' or forget. It is about learning to carry the loss differently. We work on building a 'continuing bond' where you can feel connected to what you've lost while also reclaiming your ability to live a meaningful life here in the present.
How do I know if therapy is the right next step?
If you feel stuck, overwhelmed by sudden waves of grief, or find yourself 'white-knuckling' through your day-to-day life, therapy can offer a safe place to exhale. We start with a consultation to ensure our connection feels right for the depth of this work.